EDITORIAL
Bayard Rustin
The death this week of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin is cause
to reflect on changes in relations between blacks and Jews in the
generation since both marched side by side throughout the South.
The black-Jewish coalition, in which Rustin was a key player, has
fallen on hard times. Today's black and Jewish leaders are more likely
to be at arms length rather than in embrace.
Rustin, for most of his 75 years, was a true friend of Jews, sup-
portive of Jewish causes and outspoken in his support of Israel. But
Rustin's power base was not in the black community. He was often
referred to as an "Uncle Tom" who was more involved with Jewish
and liberal causes than issues of top priority to blacks. Rather, one
of his major power bases was among a generation of Jews who,
relatively unsuccessful at cultivating other black leaders with signifi-
cant bases of support, placed Rustin on a pedestal as an example
of how black-Jewish relations could — and did — work.
The legacy of Bayard Rustin is that with common goals, vision,
dialogue and mutual respect, blacks and Jews can work together
and develop meaningful relationships. But there are few, if any,
Bayard Rustins on the horizon. It is up to the new generation of black
and Jewish leaders to seek each other out, air differences, build
mutual respect and develop a new coalition that addresses the issues
of the 1980s and 1990s.
an enigma — the same Pope who met with PLO leader Yassir Arafat
made history when he became the first pontiff to enter a synagogue,
speaking in Rome last year.
The Pope no doubt sought to defuse the debate over whether
Jewish groups should meet with him when he visits the U.S. next
month by releasing a letter expressing sympathy with the suffer-
ing of the Jews during the Holocaust. It was admirable of him to
write such a letter but questions remain.
Now a group of Jewish leaders are headed for Italy to meet with
the Pope and, it is hoped, to engage in a frank dialogue. Words, let-
ters and statements are important, but action could best prove the
Vatican's sincerity: it is time to establish diplomatic relations with
Israel.
Whether past reluctance to do so is emotional (acknowledging
that Jews govern in the land of Jesus) or political (for fear of reac-
tion from Arab states), the fact is that it is in the Vatican's best in-
terest to recognize Israel and join in the diplomatic process.
;
'MING
TRACTION
Historic Opportunity
For The Vatican
The current conflict in Catholic-Jewish relations was precipitated
by the Pope's June meeting with Austrian President Kurt Waldheim
and heightened by his unadorned praise for the alleged former Nazi
war criminal.
But even before that incident there was a feeling among many
Jews that the Pope was insensitive to Jewish concerns, from the lack
of Vatican recognition of the State of Israel to a refusal to publicly
acknowledge the Jewish dimension of the Holocaust.
John Paul II, for all of his obvious energy and charm, has been
62, Ata
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LETTERS
Tictics
Of Disagreement
The Jewish News continues
to serve the community in an
outstanding fashion by its
coverage of important com-
munity issues. The discussion
of the community response to
the visit of Pope John Paul II
- is an important example, but
some of the facts were
misstated, resulting in an er-
roneous conclusion.
In asking how can the
Jewish Community Council
believe that Detroit Jews are
not outraged at the meeting
of the Pope with Kurt
Waldheim, The Jewish News
has adopted a false premise.
The Detroit Jewish communi-
ty is, indeed, outraged, and so
is the council. As its president
I articulated that view in
many forums, including a
five-minute live interview on
the most watched TV news
program in this area (the Bill
6 FRIDAY, AUG. 28, 1987
Bonds show), interviews with
several radio stations in this
area, interviews with the
Detroit News and the Detroit
Free Press, in communica-
tions to the Papal Nuncio in
Washington, to the Ar-
chbishop in Detroit, and, in-
deed, to your own newspaper:
I said that the Jewish com-
munity was distressed,
dismayed, and disappointed:
Distressed that an active par-
ticipant in the Nazi war
machine who lied to the inter-
national community about
his involvement would be of-
ficially welcomed by the
Church and given full state
honors; dismayed at the lack
of sensitivity to the concerns
of tens of millions of people
and to the moral issue involv-
ed; and disappointed at the
burden this places on our ef-
forts to strengthen Catholic-
Jewish relations. In several
interviews I also expressed
concerns about the Vatican's
failure to recognize Israel.
I added we would continue
to voice these concerns but, at
the same time, will continue
to work hard to strengthen
relations between Catholics
and Jews, a goal which serves
our own community as well
as the general interest.
More recently, as I told your
reporter last week, I said we
would await the meeting bet-
ween the Pope and Jewish
leaders, which has now been
set, before deciding if any par-
ticular actions would be ap-
propriate during the Pope's
visit to the United States.
One can certainly debate
which tactics are more effec-
tive. Your views about discus-
sions in the synagogues, for
example, are certainly
reasonable. On the other
hand, as to another of your
suggestions, I believe that ex-
pressing our views to the en-
tire community on a televi-
sion program watched by over
a million people is more effec-
tive, more meaningful, and
longer-lasting than expen-
ding community effort on ob-
taining signatures on a peti-
tion. While the latter may be
more popular, leadership calls
for taking actions that one
believes are more effective.
Thanks again for your con-•
tribution to this discussion.
Your viewpoints are valued
even when one disagrees.
Leon S. Cohan
President,
Jewish Community Council
While there has been no
marching in the streets of the
Detroit metropolitan area,
the Jewish people in this
vicinity have been far from
"quiet" on the Pope/
Waldheim meeting, as was
stated by our Jewish Corn-
thunity Council's assistant
director, Allan Gale .. .
There are immense
amounts of people in our corn-
munity who are very disturb-
ed and disquieted by this ac-
tion on the part of the Pope.
And so we'd better talk louder
so that Mr. Gale can hear us .
Are we feeling "neutral" on
this subject? Speak up, my
Jewish friends!
Dorothy H. Mazer -
Southfield
Misinformed
On Tu b'Av
I am writing in response to
the printing of Simon
Griver's article (July 31)
describing the minor festival
of Tu b'Av. There • was plenty
of misinformation regarding
it.
Although it is true that this
date was set aside as a day of
courtship and impending
marriage between a young
couple, at no time did our
great Sages of old and our
Torah permit a day of
"drunkeness, flirtations and
sex". When the Mishnah in
Taanit 4:8 describes this holi-
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